THIS SUNDAY: Community of Pilgrims Presbyterian Fellowship, Oct. 11, 2020, Proper 23, and Zoom; Contact Pastor Brett Webb-Mitchell (919) 444-9111; brettwebbmitchell@gmail.com and visit www.communityofpilgrims.com.
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Dear Beloved Community of Pilgrims,
This Sunday, October 11, 2020, is National Coming Out Day for the LGBTQIA+ folks you know and love. The uniqueness of our Community of Pilgrims is that we began, as a community, being welcoming, open, and affirming of LGBTQIA+ people. However, for many communities of faith in this world, across many religions, this is not the case. National Coming Out Day is a reminder about the sad state of affairs in the church, in parts of our country, and in our world in which, if some people lived openly and honestly, they would be outwardly discriminated against, if not imprisoned, and possibly killed. We look forward to the day when such a day like “National Coming Out Day” is no longer necessary, because people will feel safe to live happy lives by simply being who they were created to be. But until then, Happy National Coming Out Day!
With the focus of our devotion on Paul’s letter to his beloved friends in the church in Philippi for the last two Sundays, I’m going to ask us to focus on this last chapter of Philippians 4:1-9. In our tradition as Presbyterians, part of the Reformed faith, the way we conclude our time together is with a “charge and a blessing.” The charge is a kind of “call to arms,” words of intention for the coming week that we carry with us from our time of gathering together as pilgrims. Paul ends his letter giving us a charge, a way of thinking about how we are to live our lives as we conclude this reading his letter: “Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (vv. 8,9). Not only think about these things, but do these things. Right mindfulness is necessary for right action. Join us this Sunday as we consider how these closing words of Paul to the Philippians speak to us in the Church today.
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Still accepting a sentence or two about being part of the Community of Pilgrims, so that I may add it to the website. Some have already done this, and I thank you! They are posted on the website. Why are we asking for this contribution? Because this is a way of sharing with those who go to the website and are looking for a community of faith in the Portland-Vancouver area what is happening among those of us who live and are part of this community.
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We still have bills to pay as a community of faith, with Zoom, etc. Please make a check out to Community of Pilgrims, and mail it to Community of Pilgrims, c/o Brett Webb-Mitchell, 9460 SW Martha St., Tigard, OR 97224, or use “Give Now” button on Community of Pilgrims website, www.communityofpilgrims.com. Many thanks!
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Events!
Oct. 11, Pastor Brett is co-hosting Salem (OR) Pride Festival, 9-11 am.
Oct. 11, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!
Oct. 18, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!
Oct. 25, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!
Oct. 29: Black Lives Matter, White Privilege, and Ministry, sponsored by Presbytery of the Cascades, moderated by Pastor Brett, Zoom, 7-8:30 pm.
Nov. 1, All Saints’ Day, Gather and Devotion and Zoom!
Nov. 6-7, Stated Presbytery meeting, virtually, on Zoom!
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Prayers of Celebration and Concern
· Jo Ann Tower who celebrates her 70th birthday on October 6.
· Sarah's mother who is scheduled for emergency surgery tomorrow.
· Those infected with the coronavirus including Delphine, people in Washington, and people all over the world.
· A vaccine for the coronavirus to be developed and be made available to everyone.
· Wisdom to wear a mask and keep more than six feet apart.
· Safe elections so that all groups of people can vote.
· Gina who lost her husband yesterday to cancer.
· Those affected by forest fires and other disasters in this country and other parts of the world
· Thanksgiving for a week of calm in Portland after protests have quieted down.
· Small business owners who have lost everything and may or may not be able to reopen.
· People who rely on the Affordable Care Act and are worried about losing their health insurance.
· Winston's pastor Ken Henry and his family. Ken will travel to Portland to say good-by to his father who is nearing the end of his life.
· After months of work, the approaching release of Brett's film "Called to Love One Another" produced for the Oregon-Idaho Conference of the United Methodist Church.
· Linda's brother Gary who continues to suffer from complications of Parkinson's Disease.
· Thanksgiving that Allen and Penny have safely completed their cross-country road trip from South Carolina to Vancouver, Washington.
· Prayers for healing for Cynthia.
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Poem
October (Section 1) by Louise Gluck (Nobel Prize in Literature, 2020)
Is it winter again, is it cold again,
didn't Frank just slip on the ice,
didn't he heal, weren't the spring seeds planted
didn't the night end,
didn't the melting ice
flood the narrow gutters
wasn't my body
rescued, wasn't it safe
didn't the scar form, invisible
above the injury
terror and cold,
didn't they just end, wasn't the back garden
harrowed and planted—
I remember how the earth felt, red and dense,
in stiff rows, weren't the seeds planted,
didn't vines climb the south wall
I can't hear your voice
for the wind's cries, whistling over the bare ground
I no longer care
what sound it makes
when was I silenced, when did it first seem
pointless to describe that sound
what it sounds like can't change what it is—
didn't the night end, wasn't the earth
safe when it was planted
didn't we plant the seeds,
weren't we necessary to the earth,
the vines, were they harvested?
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Buen Camino!
Pastors Brett & Karen Cornwell Fortlander.